If Ayurvedic herbal preparations are often contaminated with toxic metals, should we stay away from amla and triphala, two of the three most antioxidant-packed foods in the world? Are we going to be forced to go back to cloves, number four down the list?

In the Boston study, both amla and triphala were repeatedly tested—different samples, different brands—and not a single one had any detectable lead, mercury, arsenic, or cadmium. Good news. And neither had any detectable pesticides, either. But maybe that’s just Boston. If you want to do a broad survey of the global market, you need to start shopping on the internet.

Published in the Journal of the American Medical Association: “Lead, Mercury, and Arsenic in…Ayurvedic Medicines Sold via the Internet.” Once again, one-fifth of the medicines: contaminated.

When the Boston study came out, there were calls for mandatory testing of all imported dietary supplements for toxic heavy metals. But this study found that the prevalence of metals in U.S.-manufactured Ayurvedic medicine was the same, if not higher, than those imported from India. They found lead levels violating safety limits in products with names like “Worry Free,” a pediatric preparation. Mercury in products like “Breath of Life.” And arsenic levels exceeding EPA limits in triphala. Mercury in triphala, and lead in triphala. Okay, I guess we can scratch that off the list. That’s why my smoothies have amla, not triphala.

Just to put things in perspective, though, Consumer Reports recently remeasured mercury levels in canned tuna, and while a serving of triphala may have 46 micrograms of mercury, the average can of white tuna has 1,345. But as far as I’m concerned, practically any mercury is too much mercury.

To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video. This is transcript contributed by Bruce A. Hamilton.

If Ayurvedic herbal preparations are often contaminated with toxic metals, should we stay away from amla and triphala, two of the three most antioxidant-packed foods in the world? Are we going to be forced to go back to cloves, number four down the list?

In the Boston study, both amla and triphala were repeatedly tested—different samples, different brands—and not a single one had any detectable lead, mercury, arsenic, or cadmium. Good news. And neither had any detectable pesticides, either. But maybe that’s just Boston. If you want to do a broad survey of the global market, you need to start shopping on the internet.

Published in the Journal of the American Medical Association: “Lead, Mercury, and Arsenic in…Ayurvedic Medicines Sold via the Internet.” Once again, one-fifth of the medicines: contaminated.

When the Boston study came out, there were calls for mandatory testing of all imported dietary supplements for toxic heavy metals. But this study found that the prevalence of metals in U.S.-manufactured Ayurvedic medicine was the same, if not higher, than those imported from India. They found lead levels violating safety limits in products with names like “Worry Free,” a pediatric preparation. Mercury in products like “Breath of Life.” And arsenic levels exceeding EPA limits in triphala. Mercury in triphala, and lead in triphala. Okay, I guess we can scratch that off the list. That’s why my smoothies have amla, not triphala.

Just to put things in perspective, though, Consumer Reports recently remeasured mercury levels in canned tuna, and while a serving of triphala may have 46 micrograms of mercury, the average can of white tuna has 1,345. But as far as I’m concerned, practically any mercury is too much mercury.

To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video. This is transcript contributed by Bruce A. Hamilton.

45 responses to “Amla & Triphala Tested for Metals”

On NutritionFacts.org, you'll find a vibrant community of nutrition enthusiasts, health professionals, and many knowledgeable users seeking to discover the healthiest diet to eat for themselves and their families. As always, our goal is to foster conversations that are insightful, engaging, and most of all, helpful – from the nutrition beginners to the experts in our community.

To do this we need your help, so here are some basic guidelines to get you started.

The Short List

To help maintain and foster a welcoming atmosphere in our comments, please refrain from rude comments, name-calling, and responding to posts that break the rules (see our full Community Guidelines for more details). We will remove any posts in violation of our rules when we see it, which will, unfortunately, include any nicer comments that may have been made in response.

Be respectful and help out our staff and volunteer moderators by actively not replying to comments that are breaking the rules. Instead, please flag or report them by submitting a ticket to our help desk. NutritionFacts.org is made up of an incredible staff and many dedicated volunteers that work hard to ensure that the comments section runs smoothly and we spend a great deal of time reading comments from our community members.

Have a correction or suggestion for video or blog? Please contact us to let us know. Submitting a correction this way will result in a quicker fix than commenting on a thread with a suggestion or correction.

holy moley!! if there is sooo much nasty mercury in canned tuna products why in the world are we not made aware of this fact? as children are consuming more fish – parents thinking it is healthier than the ‘nasty’ animal proteins?? what are these children & parents to do?
dr.p. adria smith
phd in natural health
mother & grandmother
researcher & ceo

I would suggest more than unfortunate…criminal would be a word that comes to mind!! People have accepted what the industries have been doing to people’s health for way too many years. If there is not a standing up to tell them STOP ..there will soon not be those folks that have enough health left to bother! As the Baby Boomers generations are progressing in aging & not taking responsibility for their life style choices this will drain the economy along with the younger folks that do not choose the healthier life styles. A major paradigm shift is needed quickly toward health..
As my formal education & degrees are across many fields of health of mind, body & spirit I know the necessity of eating organic, local, & plant based diet …it is the new generation along with the aging that must reclaim their powers of choice toward healthy life styles. Another one to check out is the Health Ranger or implementing homeopathic & naturopathic healing modalities….Stopping the insanity of the Pharma-Mafia, telling corporations like Monsanto, etc. we will not eat those foods that they have genetically modified, etc.
Much work is needed to help people regain common sense used by their Grandmothers when choosing food for health of mind, body, and spirit..

I agree with you. People panic if something is toxic for them. But many people don’t think that other animals who are not human are suffering so much. Millions of farm animals are suffering today. Every day millions of animals are being murdered. There is no good reason for people to murder animals. Animals can think and feel. The only major difference between a farm animal and a human is that humans are more intelligent. Is that a reason to kill an animal?! If that’s a good reason, then why don’t these people also think it’s ok to kill people who have a mental disease such as Alzheimer’s or Down Syndrome?! People need to start seeing animals as individuals. They deserve only love and caring.

Readers need to see this information BEFORE reading other comments above.

I would like to see this video taken down. It is 5 years old (2012) and the study it was based on is nearly 10 years old (2008.) This information is out of date, misleading, confusing and it contains mis-information when repeatedly referring to TRIPHALA-GUGGULU as TRIPHALA (which is not the same as TRIPHALA GUGGULU.)

Not only is there mis-information in this “confusing video” (I am quoting that from several comments in this thread) but there is also mis-information in the REPLIES throughout this thread.

The most-useful comment below is the re-print of the NEWER response from Banyan Botanicals, a very reputable supplier of sustainable, organic Ayurveda herbs. (I have NO association with Banyan, though I have used their products.)

Clarifications:
– Demonizing of TRIPHALA with this old information is very unfair.
– 1/3 of TRIPHALA is AMALA…it is one of the “three fruits”
– AMALA is indeed a great antioxidant but is best targeted to PITTA biochemical processes. The one for “everyone & bodywide”, is TRIPHALA because it addresses VATA, PITTA and KAPHA bio-chemical processes (per traditional Ayurveda.) There are three fruits, one for each type of bio-chemistry.

Most importantly:
– TRIPHALA GUGGULU IS NOT TRIPHALA. It not only has a fourth plant product, guggulu resin, added to triphala but may have other ingredients as well…can vary by manufacturer.
– GUGGULU is NOT a heavy metal as one ill-informed person posted in these replies. It is a resin derived from a plant. If you do not know what you are talking about please look it up before you type:

Repeating, I would really like to see this video archived. It does not reflect well on Dr. Greger or NutritionFacts.org ++cj

I know I’m not the only one confused by this video. So Boston Amla&Triphala is fine, but Triphala bought over the internet is risky (no mention of Amla, so am I to infer Amla is fine) and someone below asked then where do you buy your metal-free Amla? I’d love to incorporate it into my family’s diet but right now I don’t have confidence I’d be buying a good product.

I know you don’t like to mention brands that much. I get my amla and ashwagandha from Banyan Botanicals — did they do ok on the tests? Triphala is like the superstar of ayurvedic medicine, though I can’t tolerate it myself, so its scary that its so full of heavy metals. Thanks so much!

Dr. Greger, do you personally take powdered amla even though it carries mercury/lead metals in it?
Seems like manufacturing this powder requires heavy metals somehow, in the US or overseas and we have no way as consumers to detect this.
Thanks for your guidance om this.

thanks for the confirmation dr greger that amla does not contain toxins. i found amla at my local indian market for $1.99 for 200g and i have been consuming a scant teaspoon full in hot water every morning. it is certainly sour but not unpleasantly so.

It is strange that triphala would be contaminated while other herbs are not. Perhaps the studies didn’t include pure amla (while they did contain other pure herbs like jatamamsi). It could also be that amla was made by a company that does make formulations with metals while triphala was from companies that do use metals in other formulations. Most of the formulas (classical anyway) in the study do not include metals and so are there thru contamination (like soy wheat and other substances in general food products here).

So then how does one get for sure clean Amla ? what are the good brands ? where do you find them ? I want to add Amla to my smoothies but not mercury ! you are advertizing for a super dupper antioxydant and then you are telling us that it’s most likely contaminated !
DO TELL HOW TO GET GOOD ONES ! Thanks.

I was confused after the latest video. So I directly asked Dr Greger about the heavy metals in Amla. At a June 5, 2012 seminar in Portland Or. He stated that” no study has found any contamination of Amla”. Not ever? Couldn’t be any clearer than that!. Thought I’d pass this along to others.
Dontlietomeman,

When 20%, of a 3 part product is contaminated, and Amla, is one of those 3 parts ,WHY should we not see the Warning signs EVERYWHERE and just NOT naturally want to avoid “it” and all of “them”?

What about “GUILT BY ASSOCIATION” IF NOTHING in this situation?

When 20% of a product is contaminated with these metals, how can amla, ever be considered “safe” and “skate free” so easily after such a warning?

Testing for heavy metals apparently is not rocket science!

After such a group warning shot has indeed been fired why not put on the brakes and do some heavy duty testing of amla before giving it an overall clean bill of health when our health and lives are on the line?

I saw recently where Consumer Labs, right here in the U.S. “failed” several “metal detox products” made here in the U.S., BECAUSE they CONTAINED THE VERY METALS THAT THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO BE REMOVING!

As much as I’d like to use amla for it’s much touted benefits, I am going to have to stop using it, until some things are cleared up via test for poisonous heavy metals first; ones,that will give amla an over all “clean bill of health” first, other wise I think taking amla is like playing Russian Roulette with a “5 shooter “instead of a “6 shooter.” !

I’ll chime in, I’m another person who ordered amla powder a few days ago. I’m disappointed to hear this news and reconsidering consuming it. However, I would rather be disappointed and have this information, so thanks Dr. G.

Thiomersal was patented in 1927 and has been used as a preservative. It is clearly a toxic substance to biological systems. Most recent controversy centers around its use in vaccines. Unfortunately I believe much of the discussion fails to ask a key question and to apply an important principle. The question is, Do we need to add a toxic substance(even if some studies show it to be “safe”) to our vaccines. The answer is No! Single dose vaccines don’t need a preservative. The use of single dose vials makes it a non-issue. However, it is cheaper to manufacture multidose vials with preservative where it is useful and necessary to avoid infections. Multidose vials are not necessary in that we can usually manufacture single dose vials. Applying the “precautionary principle” you should always avoid mercury any form. So it is not a “safe” product in my opinion. I would request vaccines from the medical profession that are thiomersal free aka single dose vials. If I were running a medical office giving vaccines I would stock single dose vials whenever possible. This can be challenging given the manufacturing practices of the companies that make vaccines. In each circumstance the risk of taking a vaccine with thiomersal must be balanced with the benefits of the vaccine.

Have you seen the direct link between Gulf War Syndrome and thiomersal containing vaccines used on US & British troops?

Apparently it was only the French troops that DIDN’T come down with this “disease” in the Gulf War even though they fought right next to our “guys and gals” and that was because they used their OWN”vaccines that did NOT CONTAIN THIOMERSAL!
And It’s the US and British troops and their families that are now paying the price and NOT THE FRENCH.

Dr. Dons you hit the nail right on the head.

Keep HAMMERING Dr., untlil this health carnage is stopped!

There is no such thing as a safe level of MERCURY inside the human body anywhere!.

So totally agree Deanna,
This was rather a dis-service in this article…more confusing than helpful. Also there are many other ways to obtain the benefits from foods and herbs that should/could have been shared.

Just received this from BanyanBotanicals (a U.S. company selling Ayurvedic remedies)

”

February 9, 2012 at 5:23 pm

Banyan tests every batch of herbs for
arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury using independent U.S. laboratories.
All of our products, when taken according to the suggested use on the
bottle, are within the safety guidelines stipulated by the American
National Standards Institute/National Sanitation Foundation
International Dietary Supplement Standard 173 (ANSI 173).

It is important to understand the heavy metals exist in our natural
resources, including the soil, air, and water. This is not limited to
any particular region, but is from natural occurrence in the Earth as
well as the widespread result of industrialization. Therefore, it is
very difficult to find a naturally grown product, including sometimes
the food we consume, that does not have some levels of heavy metals. We
ensure that our products adhere to the standards of ANSI 173 by testing
the raw herb when it first comes in, and then testing the final product
once it hasbeen tableted in our unique formulations.

Many of the reports in the media about heavy metals in Ayurvedic
products stem from products that were manufactured in India that contain
heavy metals as ingredients. There is esoteric practice within Ayurveda
called Rasa Shastra that uses metals as medicine. Banyan does not sell
products based on Rasa Shastra nor do we intentionally introduce any
metals to our products.

Triphala guggula is not the same as Triphala. The tests showing arsenic are for Triphala guggula. Which is why Boston Triphala came negative for heavy metals. Triphala is a mix of 3 dried fruits. Triphala guggula contains additional herb that is processed.

I buy haritaki and amla ( two of the ingredients of triphala ) from an indian company , gopala ayurveda, that mentions in their packaging, free from heavy metals, organic, usda approved. Should i trust them ?

In my opinion you should trust the labeling of all well established, professional producers of Ayurveda medicine imported into the US. The scandal of traces of heavy metals being found in Ayurveda herbs was 10 or 12 years ago. In response, responsible producers and manufacturers implemented procedures and testing to reassure the public that their products were safe.

I have complained to Nutricianfacts.org about this misleading, OLD video remaining on their website. As I recall the scandal was in the mid-2000s and this video was made in 2008 or 2010? It is now almost 2018. I am sad to say that Nutritional Facts staff have not responded in any way. I know that most of the staff are volunteers but I find it sad and frustrating that they have not reviewed and deleted this information for being out of date and no longer accurate. They are inflaming consumer fears unnecessarily. ++cj

Hi, Erich. No matter where you buy amla, it likely comes from somewhere else, such as India. As far as I know, amla is not grown in Canada.
Buying organic may be beneficial for other reasons, but may not impact lead content. Look for a reputable seller that tests products for contamination and publishes the results. I hope that helps!

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Comment

Name *

Email *

Website

Participate in this discussion via e-mail!Get only replies to your comment, the best of the rest, as well as a daily recap of all comments on this post. No more than a few emails daily, which you can reply to/unsubscribe from directly from your inbox.

Subscribe to NutritionFacts.org Videos

By subscribing, you will automatically receive the latest videos emailed to you or downloaded to your computer or portable device. Select the subscription method below that best fits your lifestyle.